Tag Archives: Local business

Webster community mailbag

8 Aug

I’m going to lead today’s mailbag with an event I only just learned about myself when I was reading through the Town’s Webster This Week newsletter.

It’s the Water Lantern Festival, being held this Saturday Aug. 12 at Charles Sexton Memorial Park (formerly North Ponds). It’s one of hundreds of similar festivals held world-wide every year by an organization called One World Lantern Festival, which describes it as:

an incredible experience where thousands of family, friends, and strangers celebrate life together. Water Lantern Festival brings together individuals from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life to join in one emotional and memorable night. You’ll cherish these moments as you witness the beauty of thousands of lanterns and the lights reflecting upon the water.

Participants design their own lanterns, and are invited to inscribe their “hopes and dreams, or a letter to a loved one,” or any other meaningful message, and then send them floating out onto the water. I imagine the scene of countless illuminated lanterns floating on the pond will be spectacular.

Webster’s Water Lantern Festival will begin at 6 p.m. with food trucks, music and activities. Lantern designing begins at 8:30 p.m. and launch is from 9 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $26.98 (plus processing fees and taxes) and include a lantern kit, a commemorative drawstring bag, playing cards, conversation cards and access to the food trucks and music. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING, you should get your tickets by Wednesday Aug. 9, because the price goes up after that to $45.99 and even higher on the day of the event.

Click here for more information about the festival and ticket options.

The Village of Webster’s next and last-one-of-the-summer Family Games Night is this Friday Aug. 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Gazebo Park on North Ave. These great — and totally free — family events feature giant games, sidewalk chalk, great food and drink, and Dancing With Denise. Come for just a short time, come for the entire event; you and your kids will have a blast.

Remember to visit the Webster BID website regularly to keep up to date on village events.

Webster NY Hope has published this month’s wish list, which includes:

  • toothbrushes
  • toilet paper
  • pasta
  • cooking oil
  • towels (used or new)
  • socks for all ages
  • underwear for all ages
  • queen sheets

Items can be dropped off at Webster Hope, 1450 Ridge Rd., during their normal operating hours, Monday from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Webster Marching Band‘s next Bottle and Can Drive happens this Saturday Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All you have to do is place those bags outside your house or at the end of the driveway, with a little note indicating they’re for the band, and they’ll be whisked away for a good cause.

Or, if you plan to be out and about on Saturday, you can drop them off at the collection site, Webster Schroeder High School, 875 Ridge Road, by 3 p.m.

OR, you can call the Bottle and Can Hotline (234-8684, option 1) ANYTIME to arrange a pickup at a time convenient for you.

The United Church of Christ‘s last Caring Community Concert of the summer takes place this Wednesday Aug. 9 when 8 Days a Week performs.

These concerts benefit local nonprofit organizations. There’s no admission, but each week the church collects a free-will offering benefiting that week’s chosen non-profit organization. This week’s concert will benefit the Friends of Webster Trails.  

The concerts all begin at 6:30 p.m., and food concessions begin at 6. The concerts are held on the United Church of Christ front lawn, at 570 Klem Rd. (In case of rain it’s moved indoors.)

Finally, looking ahead, these two events take place in a few weeks:

The Steam Police will sponsor a blood drive in the Spry Middle School cafeteria on Friday Aug. 18 from 1 to 6 p.m. There’ll be food, drinks, t-shirts, raffle prizes, and a whole lot of gratitude.

For an appointment (always a good idea), visit redcrossblood.org and use the keyword “SPRYMS” or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

An electronics recycling event is scheduled for Saturday Aug. 19 on the Xerox campus off of Orchard St. (near the Rec Center). TICKETS ARE REQUIRED for this event, and you can sign up here for the time slot you want.

Some slots are already booked up, so sign up soon.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 8/8/2023)

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More thoughts about Barry’s Old School Irish

29 Jul

The word “close” is not in our vocabulary.

That was perhaps the most important, and most encouraging, part of the message Danny and Jessica Barry posted to Facebook and Instagram Wednesday morning as the news began to sink in that Barry’s Old School Irish in the Village of Webster will be closing in September. And it was a comforting statement, to say the least.

The message was clear: Yes, Barry’s is closing, but only temporarily. Plans are in the works to bring it back even bigger and better than before.

If you’re not on Facebook or Instagram, and didn’t see the recent article in the Democrat and Chronicle, here’s the gist:

Opening and running a very successful Irish pub was their original dream. Having done that (in spades), now they want to focus full-time on the next stage of their dream, producing and packaging their very own Barry’s Irish Cream Liqueur. To do that, they need a bigger space where they can house both their production facility and the pub.

In their Facebook message, they wrote,

We’re blessed to have this opportunity to launch Barry’s Irish Cream, which is literally the bottling of all the love and warmth this Barry’s Irish Pub Family has created together. … We can’t wait for the day to bring these two dreams under one roof, that is going to be one heck of a story and one heck of a party. Barry’s will be built for the long haul! read the entire message on their Facebook page.)

The Barrys really want to keep their new operation in Webster, which is great news for our town and all of us who have come to consider Danny and Jess extended family. And until they open again, they’re making plans for several events throughout the year to “keep our pub family/community together, to keep the hugs and handshakes flowing.”

The first will be the 4th annual Barry’s Irish Festival on September 16. Tickets for that will available soon online and at the pub, and I’ll be posting more details in a future blog.

We’re all saddened to the core that Danny and Jessica’s friendly pub will no longer be anchoring our village’s four corners. But we’re gladdened to know that we have not seen the last of them, and I think speak for us all when I say we’re excited for them as they embark on this new adventure.

Danny and Jessica concluded their message on Wednesday with this:

Cheers to our Pub Family, and let’s rock this thing!

Rest assured, my friends, we — your pub family — are ready, willing and excited to take this ride with you.

Danny and Jessica have set a closing date for Saturday Sept. 9. Stay tuned for details about special events leading up to that final day, and the big celebration that will inevitably happen that day.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/29/2023)

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Quilters come together to help others

21 Jul

Here’s another nice story about how a local business is doing great things to help the community — in this case the global community.

On the third Tuesday of every month, Vanetta Parshall and Monique Liberti, owners of the Village Quilt Shoppe, host a “charity day.” For four hours, a handful of crafters sit around the tables at the back of the shop, carefully cutting and sorting hundreds of small fabric squares. The squares are then assembled into individual quilting kits, which are packaged up and shipped to Honduras.

Their destination is an foundation called One Common Thread, whose mission is to help Honduran women make quilts, which they can then sell to support their families.

Monique explained that the lap-sized quilts are created by English Paper Piecing, a method especially designed for hand-sewing, a necessary requirement for Honduran women who often don’t have a sewing machine, let alone electricity. The Quilt Shoppe volunteers work from patterns specifying how many of each color piece are required for each quilt, cut them all, separate them by color, then sort them into individual quilt kits.

Depending on how many helpers show up, Monique said, she can assemble and ship as many as six kits every month.

Monique and Vanetta began holding their charity days about two and a half years ago, after one of their former employees brought One Common Thread to their attention. They’ve adapted their efforts along the way as they’ve learned the most efficient ways to help.

“At first we had people drop off fabric, and we would just send fabric,” Monique said. “But upon talking with them we found it was more beneficial to cut the fabric up. So then we would send them squares. Then we realized we could print the patterns out and make kits.”

She estimates that the first year they shipped more than 50 yards of fabric. Then, thousands of pre-cut squares the following year, and about 30 kits since then. And they’re not planning to slow down anytime soon.

“Being a small business owned by two women, we want to help other women have a better life,” Monique said. “We try to look for charities where we help women empower their lives.” 

Vanetta and Monique welcome anyone to stop in on Charity Tuesdays to help out. You don’t need any quilting or even crafting experience, since most of the work involves sorting squares into kits. The next one is on Aug. 15, beginning at 10:30. If you’d like to help out at home, you can pop in and pick up a bag of fabric, complete with instructions, to cut into squares.

They also take donations of thread and hand-sewing needles, and monetary donations to help with shipping. (No fabric donations, thanks — they have plenty of fabric!)

The Village Quilt Shoppe is located at 21 East Main St. in the Village of Webster. To learn more, check out their website here or call (585) 626-6916. And definitely log onto the One Common Thread website to see some of the beautiful finished quilts and the women who are benefiting from them. You’ll also read about other ways you can help this wonderful organization.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/21/2023)

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Hope grows at Simply Crepes

16 Jul

There’s a very special garden growing in front of the Simply Crepes restaurant on Bay Rd. It’s special not only because of its beauty, but because it shows what great things can be accomplished when our community comes together.

The lush vegetable garden fills 18 raised beds surrounding Simply Crepes’ front patio, almost 300 square feet of growing area. They’re thick with eggplants, peppers, herbs, beans, radishes, beets and tomatoes. And the harvest is all earmarked for Webster NY Hope and the families that agency serves.

The project was conceived by Simply Crepes’ owner Pierre Heroux. A gardener himself, he had the beds installed — complete with an irrigation system — when the restaurant first opened two years ago, and has had his eye on doing something with them from the very beginning.

“My wife and I have had gardens at our home all the time,” he said. “So for us to put another garden in our ‘home’ was kind of a natural. But the reality is we’re in the restaurant business. We’re not really in the gardening business.”

Instead, he decided to have the gardens benefit the community which has been supporting his restaurants for 20 years.

After investigating various Rochester-area agencies which might benefit from the gardens, he ultimately connected with one right in town: Webster NY Hope, which provides food, clothing, household goods and financial assistance to families in need.

After consulting with Hope staff members about what herbs and vegetables would best benefit their food pantry, Heroux purchased all the plants. Hope volunteers then planted them, and are doing all the weeding, separating, pruning and harvesting. Some of the lettuce has already been harvested and given to a Ukrainian family.

The staff at NY Hope are happy to put in the work and are thrilled to have the ready supply of fresh herbs and vegetables.

NY Hope Director Margery Morgan said, “We continue to have our own garden at Holy Trinity, and now the one at Simply Crepes is a great reminder of what businesses can do to make a difference for the community.”

Simply Crepes general manager Nick Ferraro and owner Pierre Heroux

For Heroux, giving back just seemed like the right thing to do. He said,

There’s a lot of food insecurity in this community, a lot more than we know of. So I thought if we could create something to give back to those folks in need, it would be a good thing.

It’s a joy to give back to the community. It’s just pure joy. There’s nothing like it to know that you’re able to help people.

Simply Crepes‘ Webster/Penfield location is at 1229 Bay Rd., near Wegmans. They also have restaurants on Schoen Place in Pittsford and South Main St. Canandaigua.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/16/2023)

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News from Revelle’s Home Decor

11 Jul

I heard some news the other day about one of our village’s newest businesses, Revelle’s Home Decor, and it’s kind of a good news/bad news situation.

The GOOD news is that business is good for Revelle’s. The BAD news is that means they’ve already outgrown their new place on East Main Street.

Revelle’s Home Decor only opened two months ago at 5 East Main, right next to the (also brand new) M.O. Pasta. I stopped in there several times and always had a wonderful chat with owner Peggy Revelle, who clearly was looking forward to becoming an integral part of the local business scene and participating in Village events.

So the loss of Revelle’s is really a loss for the village. But, as I said, this is good news for the family-owned business. Clearly, business has been so good that they’ve already realized they need more space for all the things they want to do, including featuring more new furniture and local crafters and vendors. Peggy also said their paint parties have really taken off, and they need a lot more space for them.

Revelle’s has already found a new space in Ontario at 1864 Rt. 104 East, less than a mile east of Ontario Center Rd.

In anticipation of the move, Revelle’s Home Decor’s Webster Village store is now closed. But in just a few weeks — sometime in August — you can visit their much bigger shop in Ontario, just 10 minutes down Rt. 104.

In the meantime, another business is already planning to move into the empty Revelle’s space, so stay tuned for news about that.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 7/10/2023)

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The last of the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles have found homes

30 Jun
Kerri Goodman
Dave Grabowski
Chris DeBuck

Webster has said its last, sad goodbyes to Hegedorn’s Market, but at least a small part of our hometown grocery will live on for much longer.

Regular blog readers have been following the story of the colorfully-painted ceiling tiles that for more than 30 years hung above Hegedorn’s check-out area. When the decision was made to close the store, Produce Manager Fred Palmer took it upon himself to make sure the panels were not only saved, but returned to the students who painted them all those years ago.

Thanks in large part to word spreading through social media, more than half of the 32 tiles were claimed, and Fred took photos of the artists with their panels when they came to pick them up (you can see many of those photos above and at the end of the blog). By the store’s closing day, 15 tiles remained unclaimed.

But even they have found homes.

Eight of the final 15 tiles have been donated to the Webster Public Library, where they’re currently on display. Library Director Adam Traub was very excited to adopt some of the tiles, saying,

Hegedorn’s has been a staple of the Webster community for generations; the Webster Public Library would like to thank Hegedorn’s for their contributions to this community by saving a piece of that history to share with generations to come. The tiles will be on display this summer in the main library (between Biographies and Graphic Novels), then hopefully find a permanent home in the ceiling of the children’s room.

This is actually a fitting end for some of the tiles since Adam and his classmate Greg Smalter created one of them.

The remaining seven tiles have been given to the Webster Museum. Museum Director Tom Pellett told me they’re considering installing several of them in the ceiling and/or walls of the toy room alcove.

He wrote, “We feel this is an important part of Webster. Not only because of Hegedorn’s history but also a reminder of the students who created them and Jack Morse, the art teacher who guided the project.”

Thank you to everyone who shared the blog and Facebook posts and helped find homes for these important pieces of Hegedorn’s — and Webster’s — history.

Here are more photos of the artists with their reclaimed ceiling tiles:

Ryan Johnson’s mom
Carrie (Frank) Swain
Brad Francis
Adam Benfante
Santina Beachner
Erin Cantaben’s Dad
Webster Library Director Adam Traub

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 6/30/2023)

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Uncle Buck’s Catering is coming to the Village of Webster

20 Jun

The Village of Webster will welcome another new business in July, when Uncle Buck’s Catering Company opens at 9 South Ave., in the former Carl’s Pizza Kitchen location.

The new restaurant, which owners Geoff and Carrie Buckert call their “scratch kitchen,” is the culmination of a whirlwind year for the young couple.

A little more than a year ago, on Mother’s Day 2022, the Buckerts bought a food truck. They already had a well-established and very successful catering operation, and a food truck seemed like a natural next step. Their thinking was that they’d run the truck part-time, and do a little catering on the side.

But life had other plans.

They quickly realized how fast their businesses were growing and how much more they wanted to do. In a blink of an eye, the catering and food truck business became Geoff’s full-time job, and Carrie found a job as a school nurse so she could have summers off.

Then Geoff heard that the Carl’s Pizza Kitchen location on South Ave. would soon be available. Business was booming, so opening their own scratch kitchen, kind of a nerve center for the operation, just seemed like a natural next step.

Which is how, just about a month ago — again on Mother’s Day — they signed the lease for their first scratch kitchen.

There’s still a lot of painting and cleaning to do, but Geoff and Carrie are trying to have their restaurant open by the middle of July, hopefully in time for the Firemen’s Carnival and parade. When they do, customers will find the food truck menu they’ve come to know and love, featuring specialty sandwiches and all the sides (and their famous Boardwalk Fries). But now with a brick-and-mortar kitchen, the menu can expand to include things like fish fries and soups, all made from scratch, fresh to-order, with their own homemade stocks and sauces.

The kitchen will be open for take-out and limited inside and outside dining. In the meantime, the food truck and catering company will continue full-speed ahead.

Geoff and Carrie, both Webster Thomas grads and current Webster residents, are thrilled to be setting up their scratch kitchen in the village.

“The biggest thing,” Geoff said, “is being where we grew up and where we have our family. That’s why we like it so much about being here. And it’s ours. It’s not anyone else’s.”

When they open in July, let’s be sure to stop in and let them know we’re happy they’re here, too. Stay tuned for more information about their opening date, but in the meantime you can visit their Facebook page or website to stay up to date.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 6/10/2023)

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Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market is back for the summer

18 Jun

One of the most colorful signs of summer in Webster is the return of the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market to Webster Towne Center Plaza on Holt Rd.

The market opened for the season on Saturday June 10, and will be set up every Saturday at the plaza from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October, rain or shine.

If you’ve never been to this market you should start making it a regular Saturday morning stop. Varying with the season, you’ll find baked goods, pies, meats, poultry, goat cheese and goat cheese products, flavored nuts, herbs, spice blends, honey, maple syrup, cider, soap and body care products, plants and cut flowers, jewelry, crafts and of course a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Occasionally there are special events scheduled as well, so make sure to stay on top of the latest news at the Joe Obbie Farmer’s Market website and Facebook page for details.

The very popular Evening in the Park Market will also return in July to Charles Sexton Park (formerly known as North Ponds) on Wednesday evenings.

Starting July 19, the market will be set up at the park from 4 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday through August 30. These events will also have food trucks and live entertainment, in addition to the vendors, so remember to pack your quad chairs!

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 6/18/2023)

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A follow-up on the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles

10 Jun

Holy cow, have I gotten a huge response from the blog I recently wrote about the Hegedorn’s ceiling tiles.

If you’re not familiar with this story (which is hard to believe), the gist of it is this: 32 years ago, students at Klem North Elementary School painted ceiling tiles which have been hanging above the registers at Hegedorn’s Market since around 1991. But rather than toss them in a dumpster when the store closes at the end of this month, the folks at Hegedorn’s are making an effort to return them to the students who painted them.

The blog has received dozens of comments and hundreds of “likes” and has been shared almost 70 times. I’ve heard from former students all over the state and the country who remember painting tiles, and are interested in getting them back — or at least seeing photos of them.

Hegedorn’s Produce Manager Fred Palmer has been taking the lead in removing the panels, and had originally planned to put them all on display above the produce case so customers would notice them and maybe recognize one.

Well, since the blog has received so much attention, putting them on display has not been necessary. Instead, people are being asked to call Hegedorn’s (585-671-4450), and the service desk is keeping a list of everyone who’s interested in retrieving their tile. Fred is planning to start making phone calls sometime this coming week.

In the meantime, all of the panels have been removed and are being kept in the back room of the store’s produce department. Fred was kind enough to let me spread them all out and take photos of them. It might help even more former students recognize their work, and it might be fun just to remember what all their classmates did.

Click here to see the entire gallery of panels, plus a few miscellaneous photos. I think I was able to photograph them all, but I see that I cut the name off of one of them. If you recognize the one with the Pepsi bottle, corn and carrots, please let me know!

P.S. If you happen to get your panel back, please snap a photo of you with it, so I can feature them in a future follow-up blog. And wouldn’t it be fun to also have your 4th or 5th grade photo along with it …????

P.P.S. Channel 10 and Channel 13 are both planning do stories about the ceiling tiles, so I’ll let you know when I hear more about that.

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 6/10/2023)

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Oh Bella Co opens this weekend in the village

31 May

The Village of Webster’s business scene just keeps getting better, with the opening of another new shop on East Main St.

Oh Bella Co, located at 24 East Main, is a charming shop featuring clothing items and accessories especially for young women, but really perfect for most any age.

Owner Isabella Proietti is excited to bring her store to the village, after operating an online shop for five years.

“I’ve always wanted to open a retail shop,” she said. “I like the personal connections you can make. Online for clothing is a little hard because no one can feel the material and try it on. … Although I’ve done well online, I think it would be awesome to have a space, have people come in, talk to them,” she added.

A lifelong Webster resident, Isabella is especially excited to have found what she calls “the perfect space” right on Main Street.

Isabella describes her offerings as

kind of based on my style. I love traveling. I’ve been to different boutiques in Boston and Florida. So it’s a weird mix of beach vibe with a city Boston-girl vibe. I have both of those styles so I’m going to mix them. Cute and comfortable, based on what I look for when I go to the store, with lots of different options, for all ages.

Even though the storefront has been vacant for several years, she and her very helpful family members didn’t have to do too much to fix it up. Just some painting, updating the restroom and installing the changing areas. This week she’s been working hard to get all of the clothing racks set up and her merchandise tagged and ready to go.

That will officially happen this Saturday morning June 3 when Oh Bella has its grand opening celebration — complete with ribbon cutting ceremony — beginning at 10 a.m. The rest of the day, shoppers can browse Oh Bella’s charming selection of clothing and accessories, and grab some delicious desserts and treats made by @OliviaBrynCakes while you shop. Madison Sophia Jewelry will also be on hand with a selection of her beautiful jewelry items.

Take a moment to stop in on Saturday to welcome Oh Bella to the village!

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email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram (@missyblog)

You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Follow Me” link on the right side of this page.

(posted 5/31/2023)

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